Joshua 6 Aug 11 2019
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They are now finally ready to go into battle. They are prepared in their position, they are prepared physically, they are even prepared spiritually. Now they begin to make their way to the city of Jericho.
And before they do, God has some final instructions for the battle that is about to take place. And it is these instructions that will test the faith and the trust that the Jews have for the Lord.
The secret to success at Jericho was not Joshua’s military genius or his army’s skill in warfare. Victory came because he and the people fully trusted God and obeyed His commands (1:6–9)
10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
4 And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me.
1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.
Stop to explain that the word there is “have given, have given.” It is a word that means that one person has ownership and the full rights to give it to whomever they want to. Guess what? God owns it all. The world and everything in it.
14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
That means that Joshua can trust God. No matter what instructions God gives him he can trust God. No matter how God tells him to proceed.
3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”
3-
Okay, this is a pretty non-conventional approach to war. Let’s march around the city one time, go back to camp. Then go back the next day and march around it again, one time and go back to camp. Kind of a weird thing. This is supposed to happen for 7 days in a row.
Hard to imagine that is is really what God wants. Did God really mean that? It’s so odd. One of the really weird things here is that they are instructed to carry the ark of the Lord.
Actually, the ark of the covenant is a pretty big character in the old testament. The ark was built by Moses and we read about the specifics of how God wanted it built in Exodus 25.
Symbol of God, some even say that it is an extension of God’s presence.
The ark is a big character in the story. Symbol of God, some even say that it is an extension of God’s presence.
Ark means box or chest. Noahs ark was a floating box. The ark of the covenant Moses, made after God’s precise instructions. It was a holy article. So holy that there were special instructions regarding how to transport it places. There were two poles that slid through rings so that it could be carried, only by the priests. If anyone touches the ark they will die.
We actually see this happen years later when David and a group of his men are transporting the ark (incorrectly) on a cart. The ark was going to fall off the cart and a man steadied it and died because he touched it.
What was in the ark? We are told that Two tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aarons staff that budded, Manna
Two tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aarons staff that budded, Manna
But the ark symbolized God’s presence and the ark was part of this processional that was marching around the city of Jericho once a day.
It is a very important part of their worship. But see, that is the weird thing about this battle. It just doesn’t look like a battle. For all intents and purposes it looks more like a worship service. It looks more like a religious ceremony.
And that is actually what this was.
The ark would come to be looked at as the footstool of God, and other armies would look at it as a God and there are stories in the bible about how they tried to steal it. How they tried to use it against Israel.
The ark was a powerful symbol of God and what Joshua was told to do would reinforce what that symbol meant.
7 Priests go before the ark blowing trumpets. The trumpets remind them of Gods presence.
Again,This was not just military but religious undertaking. This wasn’t a war but a religious exercise which was a war.
10 On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”
So here they are, worshipping the Lord their God as they circle the territory. Being very patient, being very vulnerable.
Joshua told them, “don’t say a word, don’t utter a sound with your mouths until I tell you. It probably took about a half hour to march around the city once. All those men, all those banners they were carrying, waving. In the middle of it all, the ark of God.
The only sound made will be thew trumpets by the priests. They do this for six days in a row. Six days not knowing when they are supposed to shout. Six days.
15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” 20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. 21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.
Joshua 6
This was the moment. After a week of walking and worshiping the call came for them to shout. To shout. That was how they were going to take the city. Not with a battering ram, not with fire, not with explosives, but with their voices.
Not because they had particularly loud or powerful voices but because that is how God told them to do it. They trusted in God’s instructions. And when they follow God’s instructions walls fell down and a city was defeated, with their voices!
We don’t really even see a battle here, we don’t see much of a war, what we see is people trusting in the instruction of God and following it and having complete and total victory. This is God’s doing, not Joshua’s.
The victory is an act of God. (It is important to understand because the people would see that this is Gods’s doing not their own.)
Probably took around half an hour to march around. It must have been freaky. On the 7th day about 3 1/2 4 hours.
Probably took around half an hour to march around. It must have been freaky. On the 7th day about 3 1/2 4 hours.
Joshua Joshua 6
Instead of battle we have an exhibition of Yahweh’s command and Israel’s performance.
military/religious command
The Bible Knowledge Commentary b. The Sequence of the Conquest of Jericho (6:8–21)
b. The sequence of the conquest of Jericho (6:8–21)
6:8–9. It was perhaps a little after dawn when a long procession began to unwind out of the camp of Israel. First came the armed guard marching under tribal banners, then seven priests with trumpets; next the ark of God, and last the rear guard. The army thus had prominent places in the procession but Jericho would fall not through their prowess but because of the power of God.
probably took around half an hour to march around. It must have been freaky
Joshua doesn’t question it. HE goes with it. The people don’t question it, they go with it.
How does this story, I should say, this history speak to us today? Because it is a really fun story and it is a fun thing to talk about and it is in the top 10 bible stories that we teach our children. But what relevance does it have for a person living in Delaware, or Maryland in August of 2019? It think it really does.
This whole chapter is teaching us about trust, about faith and the way that we are obedient to God. What we see in these verses is utter obedience to God’s instructions and The better you get at following God’s instructions, the more you will see God working in your situation. Then He gets the credit.
The better you get at following God the more God will work in your situation. Then He gets the credit.
I think that God is trying to teach us to trust Him in God’s Plan, God’s Timing and God’s Power.
God’s plan is first.
God’s plan is that we follow Him, we follow His instructions. God’s plan for Joshua and the people seemed crazy and audacious. They had to march around the city. March. That’s boring, that might be mundane, that isn’t always exciting.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary 6:12–14
That is the way God often deals with His children. They are required to do their “daily march” with little or no knowledge of tomorrow (Prov. 27:1; James 4:14; cf. Matt. 6:34).
The people had to daily, march around the city. How many of us get up in the morning, daily, marching off to work only to work and then come home, be with our families, go to bed, get up and do it all over again? That can sound monotonous but listen, that is part of life sometimes. All of life isn’t your best moments. Reality check, sometimes life is a routine and its not always facebook worthy.
They don’t just rush the city. They march around it’
Sometimes it is just life and that could be exactly what God has for you right now. Some of you say oh no, some of you are saying, “I could use a little boring right now”. Less drama, less action and more boring.
Got up early could be important. Eager to do God’s will
But God’s plan might have you marching a little and you are just going around and around. Please let me encourage you today. Sometimes the “march” IS God’s plan. Sometimes that daily grind is exactly where God has you.
When you and I are in Christ we pray that God has us where He wants us and we trust Him, even if it is boring, even if it is monotonous.
Trust that He has a plan, even if it doesn’t make sense
We also trust in God’s timing. God’s timing.
God’s army walking around Jericho… they didn’t know what day they were on. They were only obedient and listen. They were day to day. Didn’t know when they were going to make the move, only Joshua knew and he didn’t tell them. Must have felt strange, but that is what was going on. Huge principle here. listen
They were right in the middle of God’s will even on day one. Right exactly where God wanted them to be. On day two they were also… right in the middle of God’s perfect timing. I want to encourage you that you are right where God wants you to be when you are obedient to Him. No matter how long it’s taking, no matter how boring it is… no matter how hard it is...You don’t know what day you are on. You feel like you are on day 2 but maybe you are actually on Day 7!
God knows the day that the walls are coming down. They are coming down because He was promised you.
Finally, we can trust not only in God’s plan, or God’s timing, but we can trust in God’s power.
God’s power. It is displayed everywhere in the story leading up to this. They crossed the Red Sea 40 years earlier on dry ground, They miraculously were fed the manna and were able to drink in the desert because of God’s mighty hand. They were led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pilar of fire by night. They won a battle against Og the king, They crossed the Jordan on dry ground. All these miracles God did on their journey.
Finally, They walked 7 times around the city and that is when Joshua told them to shout. To shout, with their voices. To shout. Remember how I said that archeologists have looked at the ruins of what is likely Jericho and they said that there was a double set of walls conservatively 6 to 10 feet thick.
They shouted and the walls came down. They shouted with their voices and the walls collapsed to the ground leaving the city open for them to take it. With their voices.
God is even powerful with weak things. He is repeatedly showing the Jews that they can trust Him. They can trust Him. And these words are written to give an account of how WE can trust Him. We can trust God in His plan in His Timing and in His Power.
What walls are you marching around? What are walls that separate you from God’s plan for you? What is keeping you from taking the land that God has for you?
I guess we need to back up and ask, are you even in the right army? are you on God’s side? What that means for us, here today is the question, have you actually received Jesus as your personal, your one and only savior? Because if you haven’t really done that then you are on the wrong side of the wall.
Jesus Christ was tortured and executed on a cross to pay a debt that you and I cannot afford. You cannot be saved by coming to church, you cannot be saved by putting money in the offering box, you cannot be saved by doing good things. You can only be saved by believing, (not necessarily understanding) but believing that Jesus is the son of God and then receiving him by faith to be the one and only lord of your life. Then you are on the right side of the wall.
Then you can march in confidence, knowing that God has you right where you are supposed to be. You don’t need to waste your time searching anymore, you don’t need to wonder what you need to do or sit on your hands. You live your life out in faith obedient to God.
Most people know what it is that is holding them back. Most people know that there is something in their life that they need to give up or something in their live that they need to start. Lord make that clear to us today.
The destruction of Jericho marks its end. It is gone and now belongs to Israel, to God. Our lives are very similar that we were at one time belonging to destruction but God comes in and destroys the old self and inhabits us, we belong to Him.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
It’s a beautiful picture of what God does for us. He makes us new. He destroys our old self and brings us into new life!
Sin is desperately contagious. To compromise with evil is dangerous and invites spiritual disaster.
Campbell, D. K. (1985). Joshua. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 342). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
The secret to success at Jericho was not Joshua’s military genius or his army’s skill in warfare. Victory came because he and the people fully trusted God and obeyed His commands (1:6–9)
God we are people that are marching. Marching around walls, trying to be yours. Lord give us strength to endure that march.
Give us hope and confidence knowing that you are with us as we walk this life out so that when the call us put out those walls will come down and we will take what is ours in you. Help us dear Lord to Trust in Your Plan in Your Timing and In Your Power.
God’s Timing
God’s Power